False bait

ABSTRACT

This invention provides for an environmentally friendly live bait-modeled artificial lure for catching fish. The artificial lure in the present invention is unique in that it contains as its chief components (1) a protein crosslinked by a protein crosslinking enzyme, and one of or both that selected from (2) a non-water-soluble polysaccharide and (3) a group consisting of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glutinous starch syrup, and dextrins. By making the above agents active ingredients, the agent mixture can be produced to be moderately viscous and, as a result, manufacturability can be improved and degassing can be performed easily even in the case of air bubble engulfment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an artificial lure for catching fish,which is modeled on live bait, manufactured using an elastic material.

BACKGROUND ART

In addition to natural bait (hereafter, “live bait”) such as insects,small fish, and crustaceans, artificial lures called lures, worms etc.that resemble the shapes of live bait are conventionally widely used asbait for catching fish. These artificial lures are manufactured usingmaterials such as metal and plastic that are normally long lasting, butthat cause pollution of the environment. Namely, artificial luresconsisting of materials including such metal and plastic retain theirshape without degrading even after being left in the water for manyyears, so they accumulate in the oceans and rivers as rubbish and causepollution of the natural environment. In view of the ecology, therefore,there has been a flourish of development in recent years of artificiallures consisting of plastic materials that react with water or light tobreakdown and dissolve when they have been left in water, to matchnatural metabolic cycles.

However, even when plastic materials are used for artificial lures theirnatural degradation still takes a considerably long time. Plasticizer,which is endocrine disrupter, also must be used for the plastic molds,so concerns have been raised that the plasticizer will dissolve from theartificial lures into the water and cause permanent deformities of fishand other organisms.

For a long time, therefore, materials that degrade more rapidly in thenatural environment and which do not, like plasticizer, adversely affectorganisms have been developed as materials for artificial lures. As anexample of an artificial lure consisting of such material, for example,an artificial lure having the principal components of proteincrosslinked by a protein crosslinking enzyme and a water-solublepolysaccharide has been proposed (for example, see Japanese PatentApplication Laid-open No. H6-319414).

However, because this artificial lure contains a water-solublepolysaccharide it is transparent on its own, and semi-transparent totranslucent when colored. It has therefore been extremely difficult tomake it appear to be live bait. Overcoming this requires theinconvenience of having to combine it with a non-transparent material.Moreover, solutions of crosslinked proteins and water-solublepolysaccharides are highly viscous so are difficult to fill into a mold.This causes defective products resulting from inconsistent amounts offill, poor operationability due to stringiness, and poor operationalefficiency due to time taken for filling. As mentioned above, thesolutions of the aforementioned materials are highly viscous so it isoften the case that once they have engulfed with air bubbles, deairation(degassing) becomes extremely difficult, and the initial specificgravity that determines the performance of the artificial lure cannot beobtained.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was developed in view of such conventionalinformation, and provides for an artificial lure that is veryenvironmentally safe and, moreover, has superior manufacturability.

Specifically, the present invention does not become too viscous duringmanufacturing but rather has moderate viscosity, so it provides for anartificial lure having good manufacturability and which enablesdegassing also to be performed simply. The present invention furtherprovides for an artificial lure (biodegradable artificial lure) havingthe ability to gradually degrade naturally without releasing harmfulagents, and an artificial lure in which coloring can be added freely andsimply to match the tone of live bait.

The artificial lure in the present invention above comprises thefollowing embodiments:

-   1. (1) An artificial lure containing as its chief components a    protein crosslinked by a protein crosslinking enzyme, and one type    or both of (2) and (3) below:    -   (2) A non-water-soluble polysaccharide.    -   (3) At least one saccharide selected from a group consisting of        monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glutinous starch syrup, and        dextrins.-   2. The artificial lure according to 1, wherein said protein is    gelatin.-   3. The artificial lure according to 1 or 2, wherein the protein    crosslinking enzyme is transglutaminase.-   4. The artificial lure according to one of 1 through 3, wherein the    non-water-soluble polysaccharide is cellulose.-   5. The artificial lure according to one of 1 through 4, wherein the    non-water-soluble polysaccharide is microcrystalline cellulose.-   6. The artificial lure according to one of 1 through 5, wherein the    saccharide is at least one saccharide selected from a group    consisting of sugar and glutinous starch syrup.-   7. The artificial lure according to one of 1 through 6 further    containing a fish attractant.-   8. The artificial lure according to one of 1 through 7 containing a    protein crosslinked by a protein crosslinking enzyme at a ratio of    15 to 35 wt %.-   9. The artificial lure according to one of 1 through 8 containing a    non-water-soluble polysaccharide at a ratio of 1 to 10 wt %.-   10. The artificial lure according to one of 1 through 9 containing a    saccharide at a ratio of 1 to 30 wt %.-   11. (1) Use for manufacturing an artificial lure of a composition    containing a protein crosslinked by a protein crosslinking enzyme,    and one type or both of (2) and (3) below:    -   (2) A non-water-soluble polysaccharide.    -   (3) At least one saccharide selected from a group consisting of        monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glutinous starch syrup, and        dextrins.-   12. Use for manufacturing an artificial lure according to 11,    wherein said protein is gelatin.-   13. The use for manufacturing an artificial lure according to 11 or    12, wherein the protein crosslinking enzyme is transglutaminase.-   14. The use for manufacturing an artificial lure according to one of    11 through 13, wherein the non-water-soluble polysaccharide is    cellulose.-   15. The use for manufacturing an artificial lure according to one of    11 through 14, wherein the non-water-soluble polysaccharide is    microcrystalline cellulose.-   16. Use for manufacturing an artificial lure according to one of 11    through 15, wherein the saccharide is at least one saccharide    selected from a group consisting of sugar and glutinous starch    syrup.-   17. Use as an artificial lure of a composition containing (1) a    protein linked by a protein crosslinking enzyme, and one type or    both of (2) and (3) below:    -   (2) A non-water-soluble polysaccharide.    -   (3) At least one saccharide selected from a group consisting of        monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glutinous starch syrup, and        dextrins.-   18. The use as an artificial lure of the composition according to    17, wherein said protein is gelatin.-   19. The use as an artificial lure of the composition according to 17    or 18, wherein the protein crosslinking enzyme is transglutaminase.-   20. The use as an artificial lure of the composition according to    one of 17 through 19, wherein the non-water-soluble polysaccharide    is cellulose.-   21. The use as an artificial lure of the composition according to    one of 17 through 20, wherein the non-water-soluble polysaccharide    is microcrystalline cellulose.-   22. The use as an artificial lure of the composition according to    one of 17 through 21, wherein the saccharide is at least one    saccharide selected from a group consisting of sugar and glutinous    starch syrup.-   23. Use as an artificial lure of the composition according to one of    17 through 22, wherein the composition is a composition    containing (1) 15 to 35 wt % of protein crosslinked by protein    crosslinking enzyme, (2) 1 to 10 wt % of a non-water-soluble    polysaccharide if it contains the said non-water-soluble    polysaccharide, and (3) 1 to 30 wt % of a saccharide if it contains    the said saccharide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the results of the measurement of viscosity at differenttemperatures for a final mixture of artificial lure for Examples 1 to 3and Comparative Example 1. In the figure for Comparative Example 1,“max” means the viscosity measured under a state in which a membrane hasformed on the surface of the mixture (“viscosity max”), “min” means theviscosity measured under a state in which that membrane has been removed(“viscosity min”), and “avg” means the average viscosity (viscosityavg”) of both.

FIG. 2 shows the relationship between strength (hook strength) andelasticity up to breaking point of the artificial lure (presentinvention: Example 2) tested in Test Case 1. Comparative Examples 2 to 4are all results concerning marketed artificial lure (worm).

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A feature of the artificial lure in the present invention is it containsas chief agents (1) a protein crosslinked by a protein crosslinkingenzyme, and one type or both of the following (2) and (3): (2) anon-water-soluble polysaccharide, and (3) at least one saccharide(hereafter also called simply “saccharide”) selected from a groupconsisting of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glutinous starch syrup,and dextrins.

The artificial lure that is the subject of the present invention meansbait artificially modeled on live bait, which is used for catching fish.These include those called lures, worms etc. Although no particularrestrictions apply to the hardness of the said artificial lure, it wouldpreferably be one that mimics the elasticity of live bait.

Independent of its origin, any protein crosslinking enzyme used forcrosslinking protein that is a component of the artificial lure in thepresent invention may be used, but transglutaminase would be preferable.Specifically, examples of transglutaminase that may be used arecommercially available products such as Activa (registered trademark)TG-S (product containing 1 wt % of transglutaminase) obtainable fromAjinomoto Co., Ltd. (Japan).

The protein used as an artificial lure in the present invention mayinclude protein derived from plants such as defatted oil seed substances(such as defatted soybean), and proteins isolated from them, and proteinderived from animals such as gelatin, milk protein, and collagen. Itwould be preferable if it were animal-derived protein such as gelatin.Specifically, examples of gelatin that may be used are commerciallyavailable products such as GelUp (registered trademark) J-3557obtainable from San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Inc. (Japan).

Processing the above protein using the aforementioned proteincrosslinking enzyme, of which transglutaminase is preferable, willenable crosslinking of the above protein. Specifically, these mayinclude a method whereby a composition containing ratios of 15 to 35 wt% of the above protein and 0.1 to 1 wt % of transglutaminase (as ActivaTG-S product containing 1 wt % of transglutaminase) is processed forabout 15 minutes to 3 hours at a pH of 5 to 8, at 20 to 60° C., or amethod whereby a composition containing ratios of 20 to 30 wt % of theabove protein and 0.3 to 0.7 wt % of transglutaminase (as Activa TG-Sproduct containing 1 wt % of transglutaminase) is processed for about 30minutes to 1 hour at a pH of 6 to 7, at 40 to 60° C.

The non-water-soluble polysaccharides that may be used in combinationwith protein crosslinked by the above protein crosslinking enzyme maywidely include polysaccharides that are difficult to dissolve or areinsoluble in water. Cellulose is preferable. Granulated or fibrousnon-water-soluble polysaccharides having a particle size ofapproximately 1 to 40 μm are preferable. Such non-water-solublepolysaccharides may include, ideally, crystalline cellulose,microcrystalline cellulose, microfilament cellulose, cotton thread, andother plant derived insoluble fibers, and animal derived insolublefibers such as silk thread.

Of these, microcrystalline cellulose would be especially preferable.Microcrystalline cellulose is marketed and may specifically includeAvicel and a Ceolus series from Asahi Kasei Corporation (Japan). Todisperse non-water-soluble polysaccharides uniformly in artificiallures, a small amount of water-soluble polysaccharides (for example, anywater-soluble polysaccharides such as xanthum gum, carboxy methylcellulose, and karaya gum) may be added as an artificial lure component.

Saccharides that may be used in combination with protein crosslinked bythe above protein crosslinking enzyme may include preferably saccharidesother than the above non-water-soluble polysaccharides, and specificallyat least one saccharide selected from monosaccharides, oligosaccharides,glutinous starch syrup, and dextrins.

Here, monosaccharides means saccharides that cannot be broken downfurther by hydrolysis, and may include glucose, fructose, maltose,arabinose, quinovose, acetyl amino sugar, 2-deoxy-D-ribose, and uronicacid. Oligosaccharides are saccharides wherein 2 to 10 monosaccharidesare glucosidically linked. Oligosaccharides includehomo-oligosaccharides composed of single agent monosaccharides such asmalt oligosaccharides (comprising maltose, branched oligosaccharides,and cyclic oligosaccharides), fructooligosaccharides,cellooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, mannooligosaccharides, andgalactooligosaccharides, and hetero-oligosaccharides composed of atleast two types of monosaccharides such as sucro-oligosaccharides(palatinose, teandalose, and lactosucrose). Specifically, illustratableexamples are disaccharides such as trehalose, neotrehalose, sucrose, andlactose; trisaccharides such as raffinose, umbelliferose, sialyl lactol,and fucosyl lactose; and, additionally, bran oligosaccharides, agaroligosaccharides, tamarind oligosaccharides, and chitosanoligosaccharides. Sucrose is preferable. Here, sucrose is used as acomprehensive concept comprising sugar. Sugar means sucrose crystals andcrushed sucrose crystals, and dried syrup or sugar water, and may beeven sucrose itself. The sugar may be manufactured from any of the rawingredients of sugar cane, beet, coconut, maple, and sorghum.Corresponding to the stage of production, sugar is generally classifiedinto non-centrifugal sugar and cured sugar, and cured sugar is furtherclassified into raw sugar, plantation white sugar, and refined sugar.However, the sugar for use in the present invention may be any of these.Refined sugar is preferable. According to the extent of refinement,refined sugar is classified into white granulated sugar, mediumgranulated sugar, granulated sugar, white superior soft sugar, whitemedium soft sugar, and yellow soft sugar. Processed sugar having suchsugars as raw ingredients may include cube sugar, rock candy, powderedsugar, granulated sugar, and liquid sugar. The sugar for use in thepresent invention may be any of these.

Glutinous starch syrup means a liquid sugar having a viscosity of atleast 70 wt % of solid content, and a DE (dextrose equivalent) of atleast 20 that has been decolored and desalinated after partialhydrolysis of starch using an acid or enzyme, and which comprisesdifferent types of glucose polymers in addition to glucose and maltose.Glutinous starch syrup is classified into acid saccharified glutinousstarch syrup wherein the starch has in general been partially hydrolyzedusing an acid such as oxalic acid, and enzymatic saccharified glutinousstarch syrup (high maltose syrup) wherein the starch has been partiallyhydrolyzed using an enzyme such as α-amylase and β-amylase. Theglutinous starch syrup for use in the present invention, may be any ofthese.

Dextrin is an product of starch partial hydrolysis that is achieved byacidic, enzymatic or heat action. It consists of a mixture of decomposedproducts having a degree of polymerization of at least 10 and consistsof α-1,4 glucosidic bonds or α-1,4 and α-1,6 glucosidic bonds in starch.Dextrin includes malt dextrin of no more than 20 DE (dextrin equivalent)and powdered starch syrup of 20 to 40 DE. The dextrin for use in thepresent invention may be either of these.

One type of these sugars alone may be used or at least two typescombined may be used freely. By using at least one saccharide selectedfrom a group consisting of these monosaccharides, oligosaccharides,glutinous starch syrup, and dextrin, the viscosity and specific gravitycan be easily adjusted when producing the artificial lure.

In producing the artificial lure, either one of the abovenon-water-soluble polysaccharides or above saccharides may be usedfreely in combination with the aforementioned protein, or both the abovenon-water-soluble polysaccharides or above saccharides may be used incombination with the aforementioned protein. Preferably what could beused are gelatin crosslinked with transglutaminase as the protein,cellulose and preferably microcrystalline cellulose as thenon-water-soluble polysaccharide, and glutinous starch syrup or sugar asthe above saccharide.

Although no limitation apply to the ratio at which each of the aboveagents is combined to form the artificial lure of the present invention,for example, the combination ratio of protein crosslinked with proteincrosslinking enzyme may normally be 15 to 35 wt % (comprising 0.2 to 2wt % of protein crosslinking enzyme), and preferably 15 to 30 wt %, andeven more preferably 20 to 30 wt %. When the artificial lure is producedby combining a non-water-soluble polysaccharide to the above protein,the ratio of the non-water-soluble polysaccharide may be normally 1 to10 wt %, and preferably 3 to 10 wt %, and even more preferably 3 to 7 wt%. When the artificial lure is produced by combining the abovesaccharide to the above protein, the ratio of the said saccharide may benormally 1 to 30 wt %, and preferably 10 to 30 wt %, and even morepreferably 20 to 30 wt %. The remainder may be adjusted with water.

The artificial lure of the present application may be prepared inaccordance with the following method, for example, but it is not limitedto only this: For example, while stirring purified water, a protein (forexample, gelatin) is added, which is dissolved by heating and stirringfor about 5 to 60 minutes at about 70 to 90° C. A saccharide such asglutinous starch syrup is then added and the mixture stirred. A powderedmixture of saccharide such as sugar and a non-water-solublepolysaccharide (such as microcrystalline cellulose) are further added,which is heated to about 85° C., stirred for about 30 minutes, andliquefied. This is then cooled to about 50° C., whereupon an aqueoussolution of a protein crosslinking enzyme (for example,transglutaminase) is added. The mixture is then poured into anartificial lure mold of a desired shape, and maintained for about 20minutes to 1 hour at around 50° C., whereupon the reaction willcrosslink the above protein. Next, the mixture is heated for about 10 to90 minutes at 80 to 90° C., and then left to cool and solidify toproduce the objective artificial lure.

As long as there is no impact on the effectiveness of the presentinvention, the artificial lure in the present invention may includeagents other than those above. Such illustratable agents are substancesfor increasing the lure of fish (fish attractants), for example.

EXAMPLES

The content of the present invention is explained specifically using thefollowing examples, comparative examples etc., but is not limited tothese examples.

Also, unless specially noted, “part” means “weight part” and “%” means“wt %”. “★” indicates the registered trademark of San-Ei Gen F.F.I.,Inc.

Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1

The artificial lure was produced in combination with each agent inaccordance with the formulations listed in Table 1.

(1) An amount of 3,430 g of purified water was added to 2,000 g ofgelatin (Gel Up★ J-3557: San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Inc.; jelly strength of 292bloom and viscosity of 37 mPas by JIS manufacturing method (JIS K6503)),and the gelatin was left for 60 minutes to expand. The mixture was thenheated in a hot bath (85° C.), whereupon the mixture was completelyliquefied (Gelatin Solution A).

(2) An aqueous solution of a protein crosslinking enzyme (enzymesolution) was produced by dissolving 50 g of transglutaminase (Activa(registered trademark) TG-S: Ajinomoto Co., Ltd. (Japan) in 1,640 g ofwater.

Example 1

An amount of 500 g of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel (registeredtrademark) RC591: Asahi Kasei Corporation) was mixed with GelatinSolution A prepared in (1) above, which was then heated and stirred for30 minutes at 85° C. and liquefied. While this was heated at 50° C. inhot bath, the enzyme solution prepared in (2) above was stirred into it.As the final mixture, this was quickly filled into a container in theshape of the artificial lure. It was then heated for 30 minutes in 60°C. water, and then again for 60 minutes in 85° C. water. After that itwas cooled to form a gelatinous artificial lure.

Example 2

An amount of 1330 g of glutinous starch syrup was stirred into theGelatin Solution A prepared in (1) above, and then a powdered mixture of1,000 g of sugar (granulated sugar) and 500 g of microcrystallinecellulose (Avicel (registered trademark) RC591: Asahi Kasei Corporation)was added. The resultant mixture was then heated at 85° C. for 30minutes and stirred until it liquefied. It was then heated at 50° C. ina hot bath, while at the same time the enzyme solution prepared in (2)above was added and well stirred in. As the final mixture this wasquickly filled into a container in the shape of the artificial lure. Itwas then heated for 30 minutes in a hot water (60° C.), and then againfor 60 minutes in a hot water (85° C.), and then cooled to form agelatinous artificial lure.

Example 3

A gelatinous artificial lure was prepared the same as per Example 2except microcrystalline cellulose was not combined.

Comparative Example 3

A gelatinous artificial lure was prepared the same as per Example 1except 475 g of gum Arabia was added instead of 400 g ofmicrocrystalline cellulose.

The artificial lure in the above Examples 1 and 2 are pale yellow, andthe artificial lure in Example 3 is a transparent yellow color. Byadding a coloring agent, or applying a coating material to the surface,it was easy to provide the desired color.

The viscosities of the final mixtures for the above artificial lures(Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1) were measured before theywere inserted in the molds. The viscosities of the final mixtures weremeasured under 40° C., 50° C. and 60° C. solution temperatures, using aB type rotational viscometer (rotor No. 4; number of revolutions: 10rpm). The results are shown in Table 1 and FIG. 1. TABLE 1 ComparativeExample 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 1 Formulation (g) Gelatin 20002000 2000 2000 Transglutaminase 50 50 50 50 Gum Arabic — — — 475Microcrystalline 500 500 — — cellulose Sugar — 1000 1000 — Glutinousstarch — 1330 1330 — syrup Mixture viscosity Mixture 3050 9500 1900 Not(mPas) temperature: 40° C. measurable Mixture 2075 6400 500 7200temperature: 50° C. Mixture — — 250 3050 temperature: 60° C.

Regarding artificial lure mixture in Comparative Example 1, the liquidsurface became solidified (membrane formation) during measurement ofviscosity at any of the temperatures from 40° C. to 60° C., andconditions were very unstable for measuring viscosity of the subjectmatter. Therefore, viscosity was measured both when there was a membrane(at this time called the “viscosity max”) and when the membrane had beenremoved (at this time called the “viscosity min”), and the mean average(called the “viscosity avg”) of both was calculated. The viscosity ofComparative Example 1 shown in Table 1 means the “viscosity avg”.Although not shown in Table 1, the artificial lure mixture inComparative Example 1 showed a “viscosity max” at 43 to 47° C. of atleast 20,000 mPas. As the membranous formation on the surface wouldtherefore impede the manufacture of the artificial lure (duringfilling), it was necessary to add the extra procedure of removing themembrane.

In contrast, the artificial lure mixture in Example 1 was 2,400 mPas,the artificial lure mixture in Example 2 was 7,200 mPas, and theartificial lure mixture in Example 3 was 900 mPas.

The viscosity of the artificial lure mixture in Example 1, which was acombination similar to Comparison 1, was 2,075 mPas at 50° C., which waskept to no more than 30% of the viscosity at 50° C. of the artificiallure mixture in Comparison 1 (7,200 mPas).

The viscosity at 50° C. of the artificial lure mixture in Example 2 inwhich a saccharide (sugar (granulated sugar) and glutinous starch syrup)other than a non-water-soluble polysaccharide was added was 6,400 mPas,which was kept to about 10% less than the viscosity at 50° C. of theartificial lure mixture in Comparison 1 (7,200 mPas).

Furthermore, the viscosity at 50° C. of the artificial lure mixture inExample 3 in which a non-water-soluble polysaccharide (cellulose) wassubstituted for a saccharide (sugar (granulated sugar) and glutinousstarch syrup) other than a non-water-soluble polysaccharide was 500mPas, which was kept to no more than 10% of the viscosity at 50° C. ofthe artificial lure mixture in Comparison 1 (7,200 mPas).

Thus, the present invention artificial lure examples can be prepared tohave a moderate viscosity during production so as to provide goodmanufacturability and operational efficiency, and further to enablesimple degassing in the case of engulfment of air bubbles.

Test Case 1

Hook strength and elasticity were measured for the artificial lureproduced in Example 2.

Specifically, an artificial lure (worm) produced in Example 2 and threemarketed artificial lures (worms) (Comparative Examples 2 to 4) wereselected and cut into 3 cm slices. Two fishhooks were attached 5 mmapart in the center part of each, and a pulling load was applied to thehooks and the load and time taken until the fish hooks broke weremeasured using a rheometer. The relationship between hook strength andelasticity is plotted in FIG. 2. The maximum load (gf) until breakageand time (seconds) until breakage were judged as hook strength andelasticity, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the artificial lure hook strength in the presentinvention was 463 gf, and elasticity was 109 seconds. However, the hookstrength of marketed artificial lures ranges from 370 to 385 gf andelasticity ranges from 70 to 105 seconds, so the artificial lure in thepresent invention has the same or greater strength and elasticity thanexisting artificial lures. This confirms the artificial lure in thepresent invention has special characteristics.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The artificial lure in the present invention is produced using very safeagents and, moreover, gradually biodegrades, so it is very safeenvironmentally. Depending on how the present invention is formulated,the mixture of agents can be produced to a moderate viscosity, whichprovides for good manufacturability and simple degassing even in thecase of air bubble engulfment, and a quality, stable product can beprovided. Furthermore, the artificial lure in the present invention canbe colored at will and simply to a desired color to match live bait. Theartificial lure in the present invention also has excellent heattolerance, so it is useful in terms of its ability to be stored at hightemperatures in vehicles in summer, for example, without melting.

1. An artificial lure containing as its chief components (1) a proteincrosslinked by a protein crosslinking enzyme, and (2) below or both of(2) and (3) below: (2) a non-water-soluble polysaccharide; and (3) atleast one saccharide selected from a group consisting ofmonosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glutinous starch syrup, and dextrins.2. The artificial lure according to claim 1, wherein the protein isgelatin.
 3. The artificial lure according to claim 1, wherein theprotein crosslinking enzyme is transglutaminase.
 4. The artificial lureaccording to claim 1, wherein the non-water-soluble polysaccharide iscellulose.
 5. The artificial lure according to claim 1, wherein thenon-water-soluble polysaccharide is microcrystalline cellulose.
 6. Theartificial lure according to claim 1, wherein the saccharide is at leastone selected from a group consisting of sugar and glutinous starchsyrup.
 7. The artificial lure according to claim 1 further containing afish attractant.
 8. The artificial lure according to claim 1 containinga protein crosslinked by a protein crosslinking enzyme at a ratio of 15to 35 wt %.
 9. The artificial lure according to claim 8 containing anon-water soluble polysaccharide at a ratio of 1 to 10 wt %.
 10. Theartificial lure according to claim 8 containing a saccharide at a ratioof 1 to 30 wt %.
 11. Use for manufacturing an artificial lure of acomposition containing (1) a protein linked by a protein crosslinkingenzyme, and (2) below or both of (2) and (3) below: (2) anon-water-soluble polysaccharide; and (3) at least one saccharideselected from a group consisting of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides,glutinous starch syrup, and dextrins.
 12. The use for manufacturing anartificial lure according to claim 11, wherein the protein crosslinkingenzyme is transglutaminase, the protein is gelatin, thenon-water-soluble polysaccharide is cellulose, and the saccharide is atleast one saccharide selected from a group consisting of sugar andglutinous starch syrup.
 13. Use as an artificial lure of a compositioncontaining (1) a protein linked by a protein crosslinking enzyme, and(2) below or both of (2) and (3) below: (2) a non-water-solublepolysaccharide. (3) at least one saccharide selected from a groupconsisting of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glutinous starch syrup,and dextrins.
 14. The use as an artificial lure of a compositionaccording to claim 13, wherein the protein crosslinking enzyme istransglutaminase, the protein is gelatin, the non-water-solublepolysaccharide is cellulose, and the saccharide is at least onesaccharide selected from a group consisting of sugar and glutinousstarch syrup.
 15. The use as an artificial lure of a compositionaccording to claim 14, wherein the composition is a compositioncontaining (1) 15 to 35 wt % of a protein crosslinked by a proteincrosslinking enzyme, (2) 1 to 10 wt % of a non-water-solublepolysaccharide, and (3) 1 to 30 wt % of a saccharide if it contains thesaid saccharide.
 16. The artificial lure according to claim 1, whereinthe protein crosslinking enzyme is transglutaminase, the protein isgelatin, the non-water-soluble polysaccharide is cellulose, and thesaccharide is at least one saccharide selected from a group consistingof sugar and glutinous starch syrup.
 17. The artificial lure accordingto claim 9 containing a saccharide at a ratio of 1 to 30 wt %.